The Department of Pastoral Care is dedicated to offering spiritual and emotional support to patients, their loved ones, as well as the hospital staff. The chaplains visit patients based on self-referrals and referrals from patients' loved ones and staff members. The chaplains also make rounds to meet patients at the bedside and to inform them of pastoral care services. Chaplains are assisted in their work by local volunteer clergy of all denominations, as well as trained pastoral care volunteers.
The Department offers occasional religious events for staff and visitors, e.g. Interfaith Prayer Services, Meditation Classes, Spiritual Reading Book Club, etc. The Department offers educational opportunities: a basic 30-hour pastoral care training program for people in the local community. All those associated with Pastoral Care will visit patients and listen to them in a manner which is open, respectful of the patients' beliefs, and non-judgmental.
Hours of Operation:
Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Call 718-250-8572. Outside of these hours, in an emergency only, call the Nursing Supervisor (718-250-8025) who will arrange for the spiritual/religious needs to be addressed.
Services Provided:
Our chaplains and their volunteer pastoral care associates are skilled in offering spiritual and emotional support to patients, their loved ones, and staff. They listen attentively, reflect back what they are hearing, and help the person deal with their own life situation at that moment. Prayer is offered based upon the beliefs, traditions, and worship style of the person being counseled. Counseling is available for families who must make end of life decisions: e.g., Health Care Proxy, Do Not Resuscitate Orders, initiating/removing life support, and organ donation. Bereavement counseling is also provided.
Services specific to particular religious denominations are offered: infant baptism in emergency situations only, Holy Communion, Sacrament of the Sick, prayers for the dying Jewish patient, blessings on special occasions...birthdays, anniversaries, etc., services for a deceased patient or staff member, electric Sabbath candles, dedication of new offices, group prayer for staff who are mourning the passing of one of their peers, pausing to remember an ill colleague, or celebrating a special event (wedding, birth, etc.).
Jewish Patients : Rabbi Gruenzweig, an Orthodox rabbi, assists patients and families with spiritual and pastoral care and with Jewish religious issues and needs. He can be reached by paging him at 1-800-759-7243 (pager # 1113100).
Roman Catholic Patients: Eucharistic ministers visit regularly to distribute communion to Catholic patients. Requests for communion should be made to the Pastoral Care Office at 718-250-8572 and leaving a voice mail message. Community priests are available for sacramental needs, including Sacrament of the Sick.
Protestant/Christian Patients: Ordained clergy are available to visit and respond to specific requests. They can be reached at 718-250-8682.
Additional Religions : There are representatives of other religious denominations (e.g. Jehovah Witness, Baptist, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Methodist, etc.) available for the spiritual needs of persons from their tradition. Contact 718-250-8572.
Community Clergy: The Brooklyn Hospital Center chaplains encourage visits from the patient's clergy and will assist in any way possible. Our Chaplain will make the contact if you so wish.
Pastoral Care Volunteers: A dedicated group of volunteers makes regular visits on patient units. They donate their time and seek to supplement the pastoral care of the staff and student chaplains.
THE MEDITATION ROOM
A non-denominational chapel is located at the Downtown Campus on the second floor of the North Pavilion, just before the bridge to the Maynard Building . It is open 24 hours a day for private prayer and meditation. to all patients, loved ones, and staff at all times. Obtain a listing of the weekly services at the Chaplain's Office (located next to the Meditation Room.)
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